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At least that’s what one Jamaican sportswriter took to calling Jamaican international fullback O’Brian Woodbine thanks to his spot kick prowess with Reno FC.

That’s Reno FC of the Western Confederation Super League, the second tier of Jamaica’s soccer pyramid, mind you. Although Woodbine was the Jamaican national team’s starting left back over their last three Hexagonal matches so he’s got that going for him. And from the highlight reel above of his stint with VPS in the Finnish Veikkausliiga he looks like a decent tackler blessed with a bit of pace and up to the physical rigors of playing on some atrocious pitches; although to be fair VPS is a mid-table club in a league ranked 33rd on UEFA Coefficient (32nd? You guessed it, the Azerbaijan Premier League!)

Let’s call this a depth move that’s zero risk thanks to the free transfer with some upside considering Woodbine’s national team experience.

Two disallowed Union goals had the Revs reeling when Coach Jay Heaps subbed on Dimitry Imbongo in the 57th minute of a 1-1 draw with a playoff spot slipping away. The new blood paid off immediately with Imbongo joining speedsters Juan Agudelo and Diego Fagundez in storming the Union backline, forcing an OG in the 58th. From there the 3 forwards dissected the Union’s usually stingy defense, who came into the match with shutouts in 4 of their last 5, Fagundez in particular making slashing runs the Union had little answer for short of fouling the Revs leading scorer.

Kelyn Rowe added to his first half tally in the 65th minute with the goal of the match to give the Revs a 3-1 lead. A curved dagger from 30 out, Rowe’s strike effectively made the rest of the match a formality as the Union’s frustration took over and Fagundez and Agudelo added to their accojnts in the 71st and 72nd minutes.

Positives to take away from tonight’s victory; the Revs attack was absolutely lethal against a strong defense, and having Saër Sène back from suspension only adds to their attacking play (Jerry Bengtson, still MIA). Playoff lives on the line the Revs played a strong possession game in the first half, dictating play and should have gone into the tunnel up 2-0 but for Agudelo missing a wide open net in extra time.

However, the Revs were extremely lucky to escape the opening 10 of the 2nd half tied 1 all. Laconic play led to the Union’s equaliser through Daniel Cruz and the Revs continued to sleepwalk, giving up two disallowed goals (the second of which was a blown call and should have made it 1-2 Union). As it’s been for the past several fixtures, every game is a playoff for the Revs from here out and they can ill afford another ten minutes as poor as the 1st ten of the 2nd if they hope to make the postseason.

With the victory the Revs moved into the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, edging Houston Dynamo on goal difference.

MOTM: Diego Fagundez
Kelyn Rowe potted a brace on two excellent goals from outside the box but Fagundez created much of the Revs offense through his creativity and speed. At one point in the second half it seemed the only solution the Union defenders had for the Revs homegrown player was to throw a hipcheck and hope they didn’t get booked.